Pretear: The Second Snowfall
by prettyinpinkgal
Summary: Strength. Hurt. Loneliness. When feelings like these build up in a Pretear, it can lead to catastrophic results. Epilogue is up!
1. Chapter One:Return! Himeno & the Knights

**Prettyinpinkgal: Hi! I'm so happy that it's the weekend! (bounces off the walls) Please enjoy the story!**

**PRETEAR: THE SECOND SNOWFALL**

**CHAPTER ONE: RETURN! HIMENO AND THE KNIGHTS**

"KYAAA! I'M LATE! SO, SO LATE!" Himeno scrambled putting on her school clothes and brushing her hair.

Mayune, still in her pajamas, burst into her room. "Himeno! What the heck is all this noise! Some of us are trying to sleep!"

Himeno gaped. "Whoa, Mayune! You're late, too, I see."

Mayune rolled her eyes. "You are such a simpleton, Himeno. It's summer break, remember?"

The redhead thought for a moment. "…Oh yeah!"

A huge sweatdrop appeared on Mayune's head. "Oh, brother. Anyway, good night."

"Thanks, Mayune!" Himeno cried, ignoring the fact that Mayune had insulted her. Deciding that since she was up, she would change into her everyday clothes. She chose her favorites, the large yellow shirt with the blue miniskirt. She put on her headband and headed out.

**SOMEWHERE IN LEAFENIA…**

Hayate walked into the room, where the other Leafe Knights and Takako were staring at Kei's computer. Takako no longer worked at the Awayuki mansion, and she and Sasame and had wed. The Leafe Knights hadn't seen Himeno since the white snow of Leafe fell. The little ones had hung out with Mawata a little bit, but their visits became less and less frequent, until they stopped coming altogether. The older ones had quit their jobs on Earth, and so Himeno was not able to visit them there. Hayate used to visit Himeno, but eventually he stopped seeing her as well. She would've used the portal that connected Earth and Leafenia, but even though she was Pretear, she could not go through without a Leafe Knight escort.

"So, it's certain then?" Takako asked quietly.

"Yes. It appears we'll need the Pretear. Since sixteen years haven't gone by yet, Himeno is still the Princess of Light," Kei replied, tapping away at his computer.

"Yay, we get to see Himeno again!" Shin, Hajime and Mannen cried. They were really fond of Mawata also, but they were closer to Himeno and knew her longer.

"But didn't we agree that it would be best if we didn't see Himeno? That way she wouldn't feel so bad when we found another Pretear?" Sasame inquired.

Goh replied. "Well, we just have to use her as a Pretear and not befriend her again."

Everyone looked at Hayate, knowing that he'll have the hardest time dealing with this. He was still in love with Himeno, even though it had been a month since the snow fell.

"Alright. We'll do it." The Wind Knight turned around and walked out. Shin was about to follow him, but Sasame gently grabbed his shoulder and shook his head. The Knight needed to be alone.

Hayate walked out and stared at the portal to Earth. 'Himeno…' he thought. 'I'm sorry.'

**Prettyinpinkgal: Sorry for the shortness! Next chapter will be coming soon hopefully! Please review!  
**


	2. Chapter Two: Where Were You! The Reunion

**Prettyinpinkgal: Konnichiwa! It's me again! Thank you all soooo much for supporting my ficcy! Arigato gizaimasu!**

**Thanks to: **

**Chichirilover: Thank you!**

**Dreamgirllogan: Thank you! Yeah, but they had their reasons…It's gonna be so fun writing this chapter, because I haven't a clue on what's going to happen! So it'll sort of be a surprise to me too…**

**BlackEyedPen: Yeah, it's like my chapters keep getting shorter and shorter, but I'm glad you enjoyed what I wrote so far!**

**Aiyoriaoshigoddess247: I read your story, it's super good! I think I reviewed for it too.**

**Inuyashasdragonballs: I'm really glad you liked it! I'll try to make my chapters longer!**

**PRETEAR: THE SECOND SNOWFALL**

**CHAPTER ONE: WHERE WERE YOU! THE REUNION**

Kei typed away at his computer. "If my hypothesis is correct," he said. "Himeno should be going into the meeting spot."

Goh smiled. "So, should we go now?"

"It's either now or never," Kei answered with a sigh. They all went through the portal to earth, though they all were hesitant. This was the mark of a new beginning.

**AWAYUKI MANSION**

Himeno sighed as she kicked some rocks on the path. She stopped at where the pond was, and sat on the bench. It brought a whole lot of memories: the first time Himeno discovered her destiny, her first pret, where she and the Leafe Knights met...It was so hard to come back, but at the same time, it gave her peace. She closed her eyes and felt wind blow through her red hair.

'Hayate,' she thought. She opened her eyes, and they immediately averted toward the portal. "No way," she whispered. She could no longer see the scenery behind it. Instead, the way to Leafenia appeared, and in it were eight figures walking through.

"HIMENO!" The three little ones cheered as they ran towards their "older sister".

"Hajime...Shin...Mannen...?" Himeno muttered, not believing who the three who were squeezing her to death were.

"We missed you, Himeno!" Hajime cried.

Tears welled up in Himeno's eyes. "I-I missed you guys too!" She hugged them back, realizing just how much she missed the Knights and Takako.

Goh spread his arms out wide. "Hey! Don't I get a hug too?"

Himeno laughed, knowing that he didn't mean the way he sounded, for once. She let go of the little trio and hugged him and Kei.

"It's wonderful to see you again, Himeno," Sasame said when she came to him.

"It's wonderful to see you guys too!" They hugged, and then Himeno gave a huge hug to Takako.

"Long time no see, huh?" Takako asked happily.

"Yeah!" Himeno embraced her dear friend again, then turned to Hayate, who was watching the scene before him with solumn eyes. "Hayate," Himeno said as she walked up to him, a slight blush on her cheeks. "Um, It's nice seeing you again, too."

Hayate was about to say something, and Himeno felt hope swell in her body. Her heart dropped at his next words.

He glared at her. "Don't think we're friends, okay? You're still some stupid Pretear who ticks me off! The only reason we came here was to get you to be the Pretear again, not to visit you!"

Himeno felt herself shake, but steadied herself. She became angry instead. "Fine, I'll be your stupid Pretear! But instead of yelling at me, I should yell at you guys! Where were you!"

"None of your business, Tulip-Head!"

"I thought we WERE friends!"

"Well, you thought wrong, as usual!"

Himeno glared right back at him. "I hate you," she whispered. She knew he was lying, and she knew she was lying, but she couldn't take it anymore. She turned and ran off.

"Nice going Hayate," Mannen said. The seven glared at the one who ruined everything.

"Shut up." Hayate turned and left for Leafenia.

**THE REST OF THE DAY...  
**

Himeno went through the day without saying much of anything, and avoided going outside as much as possible. Her family became concerned, but she assured them with a fake smile that everything was all right.

When she finished getting her pajamas on, she looked at her Mom, who was sitting at her usual spot at the windowsill, and laid on her bed. Unwanted tears appeared in her eyes and she began to cry. 'Why, Mom? Why does this have to happen to me? I love him so much, and I know Hayate doesn't love me back, but he didn't have to say we weren't friends and I was so idiotic. Maybe I am for getting so worked up about it, but still...' Eventually, the poor girl cried herself to sleep.

_Himeno felt like she was standing in a dark room with no windows, and she couldn't find the light switch. _

_"Himeno..." a voice said meniciling._

_"What?" she asked herself._

_"Himeno, I am the Prince of Disaster. Admit surrender, and I might spare you when I take the world's supply of Leafe!"_

_'How original,' Himeno thought, trying to brighten up the situation. "Sorry, but I don't surrender to stupid losers like you!" she cried, sounding braver than she felt._

_"Very well, I shall meet you soon, Himeno Awayuki!"_

Himeno woke up, panting. It wasn't as scary as the dream about Fenryl back then, but still, it creeped her out. She had a feeling that the Prince of Disaster was right when he said that they would meet soon.

**Prettyinpinkgal: I hope that was long enough! Please review:)**


	3. Chapter Three: Enter! The New Kid

**Prettyinpinkgal: Oh. My. Gosh. Could this…possibly be…an UPDATE! And I'm sorry if the town has a different name. I think it's just Awayuki, but I'm not sure. **

**Thanks to:**

**EVERYONE: I'm sorry that I'm doing it like this, but I'm feeling very lazy at the moment, and so I'm just going to say thanks to all of you. The Prince is probably going to launch his first attack in this chapter. And about Hayate's totally obnoxious behavior, it's because he doesn't want Himeno to get close to him, or him close to Himeno. He knows that even though he loves her, he will have to get a new Pretear later, so he's trying to just keep a gap between them. Or something. If any of you guys don't get it, you're in the same boat as me, cuz I don't really get it myself o.O;. But you're right, Inuyashas, that was pretty overboard. Sorry! And I'm also very sorry about the extreme shortness in my chapters. I have a really, really, really, really, really, REALLY bad habit of doing that T.T. Gomen! And I'll try to put more humor into this story, but I'm sorry if it...kind of ends up just like the previous chapters (sweatdrops).  
**

**Also, I just realized that I posted in the fic that Chapter One was both Chapter One and Chapter Two, so sorry about that too!**

**Disclaimer: I actually do own this one. Really, let me just go get my lawyer…(runs away)**

**PRETEAR: THE SECOND SNOWFALL**

**CHAPTER THREE: ENTER! THE NEW KID AT AWAYUKI TOWN  
**

Himeno moped around the next morning. She considered telling the Knights about the dream, but she had her reasons not to go.

'Hayate...' she thought. 'I know you and I are friends. If not, why were you over me crying when I had awakened after using so much Leafe back then? I can't just be a Pretear to you.' She decided not to approach the Knights about the dream; she couldn't face Hayate. Not yet.

"I know! I'll head out to cheer up! ICE CREAM, HERE I COME!" With that new optomism, she headed to town.

**MEANWHILE...**

"DANG YOU, HIMENO!" This cry was heard all over the Awayuki estate. Mayune stormed through a hallway, covered in who knows what. "TANAKA!"

Tanaka rushed towards her. "Y-Yes, Miss Mayune?"

"Where is Himeno!" The sentence came out more like an exclamation than a question.

"Um, I believe she went out, Miss Mayune. Uh, she seemed to be in much higher spirits."

'How...dare...she...' Mayune thought. She tried planting a trap for Himeno to help her feel better. It would have went something like this:

MAYUNE'S PLAN

Part A: Set Trap

Part B: Himeno Walks Into It

Part C: Himeno Laughs and Raves About How Great Mayune is for Cheering Her Up

How she got Part C out of it, no one knows. Anyway, Mayune stormed around for the rest of the day, muttering something about trying to be a good sister and how Himeno would pay, even though she did absolutely nothing to Mayune.

**BACK TO HIMENO...**

Himeno was walking around Awayuki Town, window shopping and enjoying the weather. Today, she'd worry about nothing, although She spotted a mountain of packages and bags with feet and sweatdropped. 'How the heck could anyone carry that much?'

She ran up to the person. "Hey! Would you like me to help carry those?"

A muffled voice replied as the person staggered, trying to keep their balance. "Thank y... AGH! WATCH OUT!" The entire packages fell onto Himeno and the mystery person. Passersby turned and stared at the hill of bags. The two eventually managed to pop their heads out of the pile. Himeno and the person, who was a boy about her age with brown hair and was pretty handsome, stared at each other for a second. Then she started cracking up. The boy seemed surprised at this, for his eyes widened a bit, but then he began laughing too. The two laughed a bit more until their stomaches hurt. When they caught their breath, Himeno streached out her hand.

"Hajimemashite (Pleased to meet you). I'm Himeno Awayuki!"

The boy gaped. "Y-You're Himeno Awayuki? I-It's an honor to meet you!" 'How could this kind girl...' he wondered, 'be Himeno Awayuki?'

Himeno's grin widened. "So, what's your name?"

"Oh, sorry! I'm Kimoto Hiroshima. I'll be attending Awayuki High School at the end of summer break."

"Cool! I might see you in school tomorrow then! It's hard to believe it's the end of summer already. By the way, which class will you be in?"

"I'll be in 1-A for homeroom. How about you?"

"The same. Oh, um, we should probably get out of these packages..." The two sweatdropped, and quickly got out and carried the packages to where Kimito lived.

"Whoa, you live by yourself?"

"Yup. This is my little apartment. I'm sure it's nothing compared to what you're used to, but it's alright."

Himeno looked around. "Actually, after my mom died when I was really little, my dad and I got dirt poor. We only became rich because Dad and Mother fell in love and got married. So this is actually really nice compared to what I was used to before." She turned and smiled at him.

Kimoto blushed. "Thanks again for helping me out."

"No problem! I'm strong! I _do_ study martial arts!"

Finally, the work was done. "Okay well, I'll catch ya later, Kimoto! I gotta go get ice cream; I'm starving!" 'Then again,' she added mentally, 'I'm always hungry!'

"Miss Himeno-" Here, Himeno told him he didn't have to be so formal. "Himeno, then, I'll pay for the ice cream."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Of course! It's the least I can do."

"All right! Let's go, then!"

**AT LEAFENIA...**

Hayate was staring at the tree where Takako was imprisoned. It was beginning to look like a more cheerful, peaceful place. But he knew that this place once held death and destruction. This was where they decided to go search for a new Pretear. Shortly after, a kick-butt girl knocked him to the ground, and then started yelling at him. Little did he know that she was the Pretear until after she tried to punch him. Little did he know that she was the one he'd fall for.

"Hayate?" He turned, thinking it might be Himeno, but it wasn't.

"Oh, Takako."

She walked up to him and sat down with him. "This place sure does bring back memories, doesn't it?"

"...Yeah."

Takako turned to him. "You really love her, don't you?"

Hayate's eyes went large. "N-No! That's not it! I don't love her! I don't even like her that way!"

Takako giggled. "You look like Himeno a little when you do that." She thought of a time a while back when she asked Himeno the same question, and got the same response (of course, she asked 'him' and not 'her').

"I...just don't know what to say to her now. I know one day we'll need to get a new Pretear, and she's such good friends with everyone..." Hayate truly looked frazzled. He wanted to tell Himeno that he loved her, but if he said any such thing, either Himeno would punch him harder than ever before, which would probably leave him a disconfigured face for the rest of his life, or, for some far-fetched reason, she loved him back, it would just make things harder.

Takako smiled. "Just tell her, then take things from there. I'm sure she'd much rather hear what you have to say than hear you yell at her how stupid she is."

"But she says she hated me."

Takako's smile was beginning to crack. This was getting really frusterating. Hayate was acting like a child, making excuses not to do something. "Look! Do you _really_ think that she hates you? No way! She was just mad, but who could blame her? She was near _tears_ before she got angry. Himeno most likely just said that because she would rather be angry than cry; you know how she is!"

Hayate stared at her, then sighed. "It's not that easy, Takako."

"Dang it, Hayate! I managed to confess my feelings when I had a crush on you sixteen years ago, and Sasame was able to say that he loved me that time when I was the Princess of Disaster! So don't give me that crud about it 'not being easy'!"

With that, she up and left before she would yell at him more. She hoped he got the point, but she didn't hold her breath. Guys could be _so_ dense.

**HIMENO AND KIMOTO...**

At the ice cream stand, the crowd grimaced at what Himeno ordered, her usual. How could a person STAND to eat such a thing?

"Himeno, how could you eat something like that without throwing up?" Kimoto asked when they were eating their ice cream. He had ordered chocolate ice cream with chocolate syrup with Oreo cookie crumbs and chocolate sprinkles.

"You have to have mature taste buds to understand how delicious this is. And as for you, how can _you_ stand so much chocolate?"

"You have to have _immature _taste buds." The two laughed, when suddenly Yayoi popped up.

"OOO! How romantic! Himeno is lost and alone with no handsome man to take care of her, and suddenly the man of her dreams appears! Himeno feels swept off her feet, while the man thinks she's the best thing that ever happened to him! In order to be with her longer, and with hopes of seeing her again one day, he asks her out to ice cream! Soon, the two will go on dates, get married, have many children and grandchildren, and grow old together! Oh man, it's so romantic I can hardly stand it!"

The two stared at her with bead eyes. "That's not it, Miss..." Kimoto tried saying with a blush covering his face.

"Oh my, and he's a gentleman too! So who is he, how long have you been seeing each other, and Himeno, how could you not tell me?" Yayoi suddenly became an interrogator, and though about what to change their names to when she writes a book based on this.

"Yayoi, this is Kimoto, he'll be going to our school starting tomorrow, and we are NOT in love! And if I WERE in love with someone," Himeno thought of Hayate, "I wouldn't tell you because you'd act like THIS!"

"Himeno, I'm hurt! Well, if you're not in love, can I take him? He's cute!"

"Um, I'm sorry, Yayoi, but I'm kind of happy just being single," Kimoto said.

"All right, I guess I'm stuck with a romantic man who I meet in the moonlight of a faraway country..." While Yayoi went on her ramblings, Himeno and Kimoto snuck away.

"Is your friend always like that?" Kimoto asked when they were a safe distance away.

"Yeah, you get used to her after a while. Well, I should probably get going. See ya!" Himeno waved goodbye and ran off. The street was surprisingly bare, because many had gone with their families to the beach. Suddenly, Kimoto felt a pain in his chest. He panted and leaned against a wall.

"Please, no..." Then he fainted.

* * *

Himeno walked along the bare street, glancing a few times at shop windows. Out of nowhere, she felt like she got punched in the stomach. "Oh man..." She looked around. A demon larvae must be nearby. Then, it appeared. 

It was probably a bit less than twice as big as the demon larvae she had encountered before. It was twice as disgusting, too.

"Um, okay, Leafe Knights, you can appear at any time now..." Himeno said in a loud, slightly panicy voice. "Sasame? If you can hear me, I need some help!"

"GYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The demon cried as it tried to grab a hold on Himeno, who jumped out of the way in time. Her eyes went large and started shaking. Why wasn't anyone coming? She couldn't possibly have beaten Takako's demons by herself, and she didn't stand a chance beating the Prince of Disaster's.

"Hello, Himeno." 'That voice,' Himeno thought. Sure enough, he appeared. The Prince of Disaster. "I told you I'd see you soon. You know, you're even cuter in person!"

"S-Shut up!" Himeno stuttered.

"Ya know, I'm smarter than you think. Those pathetic Leafe Knights can't tell I'm here, or that you're calling for them. I've got some tricks up my sleeve." He smirked. "By the way, I'm Feral, so you can simply call me that. Now, for your demise. Go get her."

The demon larvae obeyed and charged at Himeno.

"Himeno?" Everybody stopped and turned to look at Hayate, who was standing there not believing what he was seeing.

"Hayate! Thank God! How'd ya know I was here?"

He blushed. "I was looking for you. I hadn't seen you today while I was working so I went to find you. Uh, I'd better go get everyone." He disappeared, and Himeno and Feral stared at each other.

"Aren't you gonna attack me?" Himeno asked, dumbfounded.

"I wanna destroy you and your precious Knights with one blow." Then, he started shaking. "I must go. Ta ta, Himeno." He and the demon larvae disappeared.

"HIMENO!" She turned to see the Knights, ready to fight. "Where'd they go?"

"Feral, the Prince of Disaster, started shaking and disappeared with the demon. He's more powerful than Takako ever was. We'll have to be on our guard 24/7."

Goh smiled. "Well, we can at least go to my restraunt. You probably would like some food after that encounter."

Himeno's stomach rumbled, even though it already had some ice cream in there. "Yeah!" They all went to the restraunt, but they felt uneasy. This fight won't be won easily.

**Prettyinpinkgal: I hope you enjoyed it! Bye! Please review!  
**


	4. Chapter Four: Apologies, Love, & Rivalry

**Prettyinpinkgal: (sits down at computer and stares at last update) Um...please tell me I updated sometime sooner than November...(bangs head a few thousand times) I'm sorry, I'm really truly sorry. Man, I'm lame! I've been having writer's block, and I've been really sick of Pretear lately (gets beaten up by angry fans yelling "what do you mean you got sick with Pretear?") and with school work and working on other fanfics because I'm too stupid to finish the ones I already started and working on a novel, I've been busy. But it's still no excuse; I should have updated this a lot sooner. So, since you guys probably want to, you all have the opportunity throw stuff at me. u.u But, I truly am grateful for all the reviews I've gotten. I wouldn't have updated at all if it wasn't for you guys, so I'm sorry and I'm thankful! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own. So please don't sue! I do own the Prince and Kimoto. **

**PRETEAR: THE SECOND SNOWFALL**

**CHAPTER FOUR: APOLOGIES, LOVE, AND RIVALRY!**

Himeno and the Knights ate their ice cream in cautious enjoyment. Would Feral attack soon? They had never heard of a being of disaster attacking twice in so short a time, but they also hadn't heard of demon larvae being so large. Anything was possible now.

Himeno glanced up at the clock and gaped at it. _It's only noon? No way! _What with meeting Kimoto and battling the Prince of Disaster, she had assumed it was much later.

"Well, better get back to work. See ya, Himeno!" Goh said. It seemed that he and the other Leafe Knights had gotten their old jobs back. She turned and watched him walk away waving, a somewhat sly look on his face. Himeno waved back in confusion. _What was with that look just now?_ she wondered.

"We should get back to our jobs too. I'll drop off the kids with Takako in Leafenia. Goodbye, Himeno," Sasame said calmly as he ignored Mannen's complaints about wanting to hang out with the redheaded girl.

"Bye. I'll stop by later, okay, Mannen?" Himeno said sweetly to the Knight of Ice.

"Okay. Later, Himeno!" he said, followed by the farewells of the other kids. The disappeared with a flash. Kei quickly stated he needed to leave as well, unable to conceal his sly smile. Quickly taking off, he thought, _Now Hayate and Himeno have a little time with each other._

_

* * *

_Hayate knew what was going on. Now he couldn't chicken out. Himeno looked really confused, looking around, then shrugging andhad the last bitof her ice cream. She glanced up, and Hayate realized too late that he'd been staring at her. 

"What is it, Hayate?" she asked. Then, as if remembering yesterday's events, added coldly, "Oh yes, that's right. I'm ticking youoff, am I right? Well then, consider yourself officially un-ticked!" With that, she jumped up andtook a fewsteps when Hayate stopped her.

"Wait," he said. Hethought for a second. He wanted to be close to her,even if itwas justas friends, but would that put her through more pain? He had a feeling he shouldn't be doing something like this, but...

"Himeno, I'm sorry." Well, this captured Himeno'sattention. She turned and stared at him, surprised.

"Huh?" was all she could say.

Hayate walked up to her. "I'mso sorry. I was just...just..." Heattempted to find the perfect word to describehis actions.

"...Being an idiot, as usual?" Himeno said, smiling a little.

"Yeah, exactly."

"Being a stupid, arrogant, conceited, proud, coldhearted...?"

"I get the picture! I know I was all that and I'm sorry, okay!" he shouted. To his surprise, his princess of lightgiggled.

"Yeah, and I'm sorry too. I don't hate you; never did."

Hayate smiled as relief swelled through his body."Well,now that that's taken care of..."

Himeno grinned. "I wanna go to the beach!"

Hayate blinked at this sudden outburst. "Okay. Well, bye then."

He began to walk off when Himeno said, "You don't want to come?"

"Huh?"

"Well, we're friends now, aren't we? I thought we could, you know, hang out together." She straightened out her shirt, blushing a bit.

Hayate looked at her. He had never hung out with someone for something not related to protecting the world. "And you want me to come with you?"

Himeno smiled at him. Man, he loved that smile. "Of course! So are you coming with me or what?" When he nodded in agreement, her grin widened, causing him to smile as well.

"Sure."

"Then let's go!" Himeno grabbed Hayate's hand and led him over to the beach.

* * *

"So..." Feral smirked. "It appears our little Pretear is going on a date. I'm hurt. She didn't invite me. Ah, well. I'll drop in for a little visit anyway." 

_"NO!"_

_

* * *

_Himeno laughed as she ran with Hayate down to the beach. She recalled when she had went there with Mawata. How much things had changed! Back then, Himeno was always beating herself up. The ridicules of her classmates never helped, along with Fenril's. When she was unable to pret anymore, she believed she totally was worthless. 

But this blue-eyed Knight beside her showed her differently. It was thanks to him that she became Pretear. It was thanks to him she regained her powers. It was thanks to him that she was saved from herself.

And Mawata. Mawata had changed greatly ever since that day at the beach. Her words, secretly filled with pain and sorrow, muttered, "Wouldn't it be great to live alone? If you lived alone, you wouldn't hurt anyone, nor would you get hurt." Now, both she and Mawata knew that life wasn't that wonderful if you were by yourself. The reason you are the way you are now is partly because of the people in your life. Himeno now understood that. She also knew that the hurt and pain is just as important as the love and joy; it helps you somehow. If it wasn't for the agony Himeno had gone through by being an outsider, she may not have become Pretear. Mawata had gone through just as much, if not more, pain than Himeno, but ever since the Pretear saved her, she'd been much more open and cheerful. That was the true Mawata Awayuki.

Himeno let go of Hayate's hand and ran onto the edge that she had once stood on with Mawata. She had been right; there was more. And she wasn't just talking about getting closer to the ocean.

"It brings back memories, doesn't it?" Himeno asked Hayate when he caught up with her.

"Yeah," he said as the girl looked out into the distance. When he didn't say anything more, she turned and saw him looking at her again, with a somewhat soft look on his face. They both blushed and looked the other way. "Himeno?" he asked. She turned, still a bit red.

"Yeah?" she asked. Suddenly, Hayate leaned in close. Her breath grew shallow, as he got closer and closer to her. All of a sudden, he whirled around.

"Um, no, it's nothing. Never mind," he said. Hayate winced. He wanted to kiss her, but that would cause much more problems. He couldn't put his own selfishness before Himeno's feelings.

"Oh. Okay then." Himeno frowned. She was so sure that he would kiss her! Why'd he wimp out? She sighed. Then she gasped, feeling sick to her stomach. This feeling...it was much more powerful than a demon larvae. Could it be the Prince of Disaster?

"Hayate!" she gasped, clutching her stomach. He put his hand on her shoulder. Normally, she would feel happy at his touch, but she felt way too sick.

"I feel it too. Hang in there." His smooth voice was filled with a tense feeling. In a moment, the feeling passed. The two stared at each other. "What was..." they said at the same time.

Something very wrong was happening. Himeno jumped when she heard somebody say, "Hi, Himeno."

She whirled around, her fists out, ready to ruin the Prince's conceited face. To her surprise, it was Kimoto! She exhaled with relief, then smiled. "Oh, Kimoto, thank God it's you! I thought you were...never mind."

"I'm sorry," Kimoto said, putting a hand at the back of his head. "I didn't mean to startle you!"

"No, it's okay." Himeno looked over and saw Hayate glaring daggers at Kimoto. "Hayate!" she said. "What is with you?" To Kimoto, she said, "I'm sorry; this is my friend Hayate. Hayate, this is my new friend, Kimoto."

"Um, hi," Kimoto said, not quite as friendly as before.

"Hey," Hayate replied coldly.

"Well, I didn't mean to interrupt your date, Himeno," Kimoto said, emphasising _date_. Was it just her, or was he acting a little...jealous? Well, if not him, then definitely Hayate. But why on earth would he be jealous? Unless... Himeno shook her head at the thought. No. There was no way Hayate could possibly like her.

"No, it's alright, and it's not a date," she replied. _I wish, _she thought wistfully. "Bye!" she cheerfully called as Kimoto waved and walked off.

Hayate was still glaring at where Kimoto once stood, even though he was long gone. "Hayate! What's wrong with you? You just acted like a total jerk! I mean, that's nothing new, but I thought you were above being a jerk to my friends!"Himeno yelled at him. Seriously, this guy could get her so mad!

Hayate turned and glared at her. "Shut up, Tulip Head!" He looked back at where Kimoto had been. "'Your friend' isn't your friend at all. More like your enemy." After Himeno's confused silence, he said. "I think we have reason to believe Kimoto is the Prince of Disaster."

**Prettyinpinkgal: There you go! Again,a bazillion apollogies. Uh, please review!**


	5. Chapter Five: Kimoto's Not Feral!

**Prettyinpinkgal: Another update! In less than 8 months! Yes! I'm proud of myself lol. Thanks for reviewing and reading, you guys! **

**Disclaimer: Lately, I've been using Ryou and Kish from Tokyo Mew Mew to do my disclaimers, since I bought them off eBay (for full story, please read the fanfic "The Bishounen of eBay!") But they say they're sick, so I have to do it my...self...(glances at where Ryou and Kish are supposed to be and finds them climbing out the window) HEY!**

**R&K! Crud! (gets shocked by shock collars prettyinpinkgal put on them)**

**Prettyinpinkgal: (pulls them out of ground and throws them at computer screen) Come on, you're lucky I didn't shock you ten times! Disclaimer! Now!**

**R&K: Prettyinpinkgal doesn't own Pretear! She only owns Kimoto and the Prince! So you can't sue her! But you CAN sue her for buying copyrighted characters off of eBay!**

**Prettyinpinkgal: o.O; Seriously? You can do that? **

**Ryou: Of course you can, baka. **

**Prettyinpinkgal: ...Crud.**

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

**PRETEAR: THE SECOND SNOWFALL**

**CHAPTER FIVE: KIMOTO'S NOT FERAL! HIMENO'S DECISION **

_Himeno looked around the darkness. The dark area seemed to consume her, making her feel like she was being suffocated. "Is anybody there?" she asked, desperately hoping someone, anyone, would answer her. _

"_Hello again, Himeno." Anyone except _him.

_Himeno franticly looked around. "Show your face, Feral!"_

"_But then you wouldn't look as afraid. And you look adorable when you're terrified."_

_The Pretear blushed. "Would you shut up!" Suddenly, two hands grabbed hold of her wrists and she was pinned against an invisible wall._

"_Believe me when I say **you will be mine**," said Feral, finally showing himself. His face was serious, and Himeno's eyes widened in fear. Unable to turn her head away, she gasped as Feral turned into…_

"_Himeno..." Kimoto said sorrowfully._

The girl shot up, drenched in sweat. She shook her head. _No. No, no, no, no, NO! Kimoto is NOT Feral! He's a good, kind person…he's my friend…isn't he?_

Himeno plopped back down and looked in the direction of her mother's plants. The moonlight was terrible, so she got up to go towards her "mom". What she saw terrified her.

Her flowers were wrinkled and looked burnt. Hesitantly, the sixteen-year-old touched one of the stems, and trembled as it crumbled.

Its Leafe had been taken. Feral had been there.

**THE NEXT DAY…**

Himeno was sitting at her desk, not even talking to Yayoi. She thought about the dream she had. _What did Feral mean, he wants me to be his? Why is he doing this? Is it possible he really is Kimoto? How could he do that to Mom's flowers?_

She felt tears well up, but she bit her lip to keep herself from crying. _Be strong…be strong… _she told herself. _You've been strong all this time, so you can definitely be strong now._

"Hi, Himeno," a voice said. She looked up, being knocked out of her thoughts. It was Kimoto. He had a gentle smile on his face.

She smiled. "That's right, you couldn't be Feral…"

Kimoto blinked. "Be who?"

Himeno waved her hand, as if swatting the subject away. "Never mind. Anyway, how are you liking Awayuki Town?"

Her classmate looked out the nearby window. "It's great here. Everyone's so kind. Especially," he said, turning and looking kindly at Himeno, "you."

Himeno blushed. "Me? Kind? Yeah, right," she said, embarrassed by the compliment.

"You really are, Himeno!" The Pretear glanced up, surprised by Kimoto's sudden serious behavior. "You're kind, smart, funny, beautiful…. You're really a great person!"

Himeno smiled, a small blush on her face. "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me…" she said quietly.

Kimoto looked taken aback. "Doesn't your boyfriend—Hayate, was it?—ever say anything like that to you?"

Himeno's eyes saddened. "No. He's not my boyfriend. Besides, Hayate would never say anything like that to me." She sighed. "I wish he was my boyfriend, though."

Kimoto looked sympathetic. "Well, maybe he's not the one…"

"There's no way I can love anyone but Hayate!" The redhead's sudden outburst made the classroom go quiet, then she giggled nervously and muttered a "sorry, my bad."

"I hope everything works okay in the end for you, Himeno," Kimoto said. He got up, waved, and left to talk to some of his new guy friends.

"I hope so, too," Himeno whispered, putting her chin on her hand and looking out the window, watching the wind make the green leaves sway.

**PUT LINE HERE**

Himeno arrived home with her sisters, who had decided to walk. Mayune had decided more people would notice her beauty if she walked than if she were in a dark limo, so she had agreed with the idea.

"Hey! Welcome home!" Kaoru cried as Himeno, Mawata, and Mayune walked towards their home.

The girls said hello, then asked what he was doing. "Making art, as usual. It's great, since my assistant's back!" he replied.

"Assistant?" Mawata asked.

Hayate walked up, a smile on his face. "Hey."

Himeno felt her heart race, as it always did with Hayate. She gave a bright smile. "Hi! So you're working for Dad again, huh?"

Mayune and Mawata looked at the two. "I'm going to go…have a snack," Mayune said.

Mawata said with a smile, "I think I'll have something to eat as well." The two siblings grabbed Kaoru by his collar, dragging him along.

"Come on, Dad, you look like you could eat something, too," the two girls said at the same time. Kaoru just blinked and said he didn't, but was forced inside.

_Himeno, I hope this time you finally find out how Hayate feels, _Mawata thought.

_Himeno, you better not screw this up after I graciously set you two up for some alone time! _Mayune thought in her own "kind" way.

Meanwhile, Hayate told Himeno, "Sorry."

"Huh? Why?" Himeno asked, curious.

"Because, what I said hurt you yesterday, didn't it?"

"You mean about Kimoto? It's okay!"

Hayate blinked. "So you think Kimoto's the Prince of Disaster, too?"

The girl frowned. "No, it's okay because I know he's _not_."

"How could he _not _be! The presence of Feral completely disappeared after _that guy _showed up!"

"His name is Kimoto, not 'that guy'! And maybe it was just a coincidence. Kimoto's my FRIEND; there's no way he could be Feral…"

"And Mikage was your friend, too, and she turned out to be Takako!"

"Do you think I don't know that? I'm not stupid! But I trust Kimoto! He would never…"

"So you don't trust me?" Hayate's voice wasn't loud; it was soft, yet cold like the wind during a blizzard.

"That's not what I meant! Hayate, I…"

"Forget it." The Knight of Wind began walking away.

The Pretear stared at him, then ran up to him. "Hayate, I trust you…"

"Do you…like him?"

The question startled Himeno as the two stopped walking. "Huh? Well, yeah, I like him. He's my friend, after all."

"That's not what I meant!" Himeno was taken aback by his shout. Then, she walked in front of him, and noticed his face was read.

Hayate looked the other way, narrowing his eyes. "What I mean is, do you love him?"

"Wh-what? Of course not. I love…" Himeno almost said, "I love you", but couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead she just corrected herself and said, "I don't love Kimoto."

"…Are you sure?" Hayate's voice sounded uncertain, for once.

Himeno smiled. She held his slightly larger hand, making him look at her. "Definitely."

Hayate stared at her, his face a bit red, then smiled. "Okay." Then, "I'll believe you. Kimoto probably isn't the Feral."

Himeno gave him a huge smile. "Great! Thank you, Hayate!"

Suddenly, someone called, "HAYATE!" A girl, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere, hugged onto the Leafe Knight tightly. She had long blonde hair, most of which was held up in two ponytails, wore a casual red dress, and seemed a year older than Himeno. She gave the shocked Knight a kiss on the cheek. "It's been a long time!"

Himeno resisted the urge to punch Barbie a couple hundred times. _Who the heck is she, and why did she just kiss Hayate? _"Um…hi. Who are you?" she asked, forcing a smile on her face.

The blonde looked at Himeno but still held onto Hayate, who looked awkward. "I'm Natsuki, the Leafe Knight of Lightning. I'm also Hayate's fiancée."

**Prettyinpinkgal: Things are gonna get a little bit complicated now XP. Please review! And I'm sorry if this ended up a bit on the short side u.u **


	6. Chapter Six: Darkness in Himeno's Heart

**Prettyinpinkgal: Oh yeah! Another chapter! Boo-ya! Um, I just realized I let the "Put Line Here" stay on the last chapter. Oops. (sweatdrops). Thank you everyone for your support for "The Second Snowfall"! You all rock socks XD. **

**Disclaimer: R&K: Prettyinpinkgal doesn't own Pretear. She does own Natsuki, Feral, and Kimoto. And she owns us (unfortunately). **

**Prettyinpinkgal: (claps) Yay! You're learning! Good boys! (pats their heads)**

**Kish: (light bulb goes on) Of course…I can transport! I can get away from this lunatic! Thank you, alien powers!**

**Ryou: Please take me with you!**

**Prettyinpinkgal: (smirks) If you run away…I'll find you and zap you a million times…**

**R&K: Crud…**

**PRETEAR: THE SECOND SNOWFALL**

**CHAPTER SIX: THE HIDDEN DARKNESS IN HIMENO'S HEART  
**

Himeno's eyes widened. The information didn't really sink in. "What'd you say?"

Natsuki smiled and held onto Hayate more. "We're engaged to be married."

Himeno's heart froze.

"That's not true! Listen, Natsuki, I'm just not interested in you!" He tried pushing her away, and turned his attention to the girl he loved. "Himeno, she's not my fiancée!"

"Then why is she saying she is?" the Pretear asked as she looked down, her red bangs covering her eyes.

"Because my dad set it all up. But just because Dad expects me to, doesn't mean I will." _If I can't have you, I won't settle for anyone else._

Natsuki frowned, then turned her attention to Himeno, letting go of her ex-fiancé. "Who are you?"

Himeno, relieved that the whole marriage thing was taken care of, replied, "Oh, I'm Himeno Awayuki…"

The female Knight cut her off. "Himeno Awayuki? You mean you're the girl who turned into the White Pretear?"

Hayate walked over to the redhead. "Yeah, she's the White Pretear," he said, looking lovingly at the Pretear as she blushed from the attention.

"How'd you know about me?" she asked Natsuki.

Natsuki snorted. "_Everyone _in Leafenia's heard of you. After all, you fulfilled the legend. But I expected you to be as beautiful as me," she said proudly, playing with some of her blonde hair. Himeno frowned, anger building up in her as she struggled with her self-control.

"Well, maybe I'm not that pretty, but I'm not ugly…" she said through clenched teeth. Hayate just sighed.

"Ignore her, Himeno. Natsuki's always been proud like that," the Knight of Wind said, running his fingers through his blue hair.

Himeno nodded, but her expression grew cheerless. _He could have said something in my defense…_

"Anyway, there's no way I'll lose to you, Miss Himeno Awayuki," Natsuki, getting close to Himeno so Hayate wouldn't hear. "I won't give up Hayate to someone like _you_," she said, her eyes cold.

Himeno frowned and looked away. "Who said I wanted him?" she lied stubbornly. She hadn't admitted to anyone she was in love with Hayate, so why on earth would she tell someone like Natsuki?

Natsuki smirked. "Whatever you say."

**A FEW NIGHTS LATER…**

Himeno, being awoken from a sick feeling in her stomach, shook as she shot up in her bed, then covered her head. Darkness swirled around Himeno, as if attempting to penetrate into her soul. What was going on, Himeno didn't know. Suddenly, the evil blackness vanished, leaving behind a normal moonlit room.

"Himeno!" The urgent whisper made Himeno turn to the direction of her balcony, hoping it wasn't the Knight she was struggling not to think about.

"Oh, Kei," Himeno said, both surprised and disappointed. "What are you doing here?"

"With Feral on the loose, we decided to start guarding you again. It was my turn on guard duty tonight. Are you okay? I sensed a sinister presence," Kei asked, concerned.

Himeno forced on a smile. "Yup, I'm fine! It must have been your imagination!" she replied cheerfully. _If I tell him, he'll tell the other Knights, and I don't want them to worry. I'll just have to be strong. As usual, _she added, frowning a bit, then going back to smiling. "You're probably just tired."

"I definitely felt something here, Himeno." The stubborn Knight said. Kei wasn't used to being told he was wrong.

The girl sighed. "Well, as you can see, everything's as it should be."

"I guess your right," Kei muttered. Changing the subject, he mentioned, "By the way, a new Knight will be helping to protect you…"

_Don't tell me...! _Himeno thought nervously.

"…a girl named Natsuki." He blinked as Himeno fell onto her face, burying her head in her comforter. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing!" the redhead cried as she sat back up, waving her hand.

"Whatever you say. Well, goodnight."

"Night."

Kei started to leave when he stopped. "Didn't there used to be a pot of flowers there?" he inquired, nodding towards the bare window.

Himeno bit her lip. "Uh, yeah. I had to…throw them away." She knew he'd worry if she told him the Leafe had been sucked from it, but that would be the same as saying her precious plants died, and Himeno couldn't bring herself to say that.

"Oh. That's too bad. Well, see ya." With that, he walked out, closed the doors, and flew up to the rooftop. When he left, Himeno snuggled back into her covers. Her eyes softening, she thought, _What's happening to me?_

**THE NEXT DAY**

Himeno, deep in thought about what the evil presence was the night before, bumped into someone. "Sorry," she said, then looked up to see Hayate.

"Hey, Tulip-Head," he teased with his usual coolness. He blinked when he saw Himeno's expression. Instead of being angry, she just seemed upset. "Himeno…?" he asked quietly.

Himeno looked at him. "Oh, sorry! Uh, so…I hear Natsuki's going to be part of the team?" _Crud! _she mentally kicked herself. _I didn't want to bring up THAT subject!_

Hayate sighed. "Yeah. It turns out that's what she came here for." _Although she probably has other motives, _he thought.

"Oh."

Awkward silence.

"Oh, Hayate!" Himeno cried, grabbing onto his sleeve.

"What?"

"Take me to Leafenia! I wanna talk with Takako." _I just want to make sure..._

"Okay," the Knight said, taking her to the portal (A/N I can't remember the name of the portal! If anyone knows, please tell me! Thanks!). He walked to the other side with her, than went back to Earth to finish working.

Leafenia, as always, was gorgeous. It was even more radiant without any evil around. The tree that once held Takako was still creepy, but other than that, Leafenia was beautiful. Himeno smiled at the typis overhead. She closed her eyes and, for the first time in a while, felt peace.

At least, she did until she remembered her reason for coming to Leafenia. Then she opened her eyes and frowned. She walked to where Takako and Sasame lived. Knocking on the door, she waited patiently for the new wife to open up.

After a few moments, Himeno knocked again. Silence. After a while, she stopped knocking and began practically killing the door! "TAKAKO! HEY, TAKAKO! IT'S HIMENO! OPEN UP!"

"Himeno?" a voice said behind the yelling teen, and the current Pretear jumped ten feet in the air.

"Oh, hi! You scared me," Himeno chuckled nervously.

Takako smiled. "Imagine how I felt when I heard someone screaming and pounding on my door from my garden."

"Heh. Sorry about that. Well, I guess that's why you didn't answer," Himeno laughed. The two friends giggled, then went on a walk.

"So what brings you to Leafenia?" Takako asked.

"I just wanted to hang out with you for a while," Himeno lied. _I did want to see Takako, but not just to hang out, _she thought.

"Well, I'm glad you're here!" Takako said with a smile.

"Me, too," Himeno replied, this time being truthful.

After stopping to sit on a high hill and talking about random things, Himeno cautiously asked, "Um, Takako? Can I…ask you something?"

Takako looked at her younger friend and blinked. "Ask me something? Sure. About what?"

"Well," the redhead said slowly, suddenly finding interest in the green grass she was sitting on. "About…a while ago…"

Takako stared into space for a second, then let out an, "Oooh. You mean when I was the Princess of Disaster, right?" Even though at first it had been difficult for the ex-Pretear to come to accept what she had done, she had moved on and was able to talk about it with ease, for the most part.

"Right! Well, um…what was it like, turning into Fenryl?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, was their a bright red light, or what?"

"Hmm…" the brunette murmured, trying to remember. "My vision was pretty blurred from tears, but I think there were strings of darkness swirling around me. The presence of evil was almost unbearable, until…" Takako trailed off.

"…Until you became the Princess of Disaster," Himeno whispered. _So, last night really was me nearly becoming another Princess of Disaster? _Himeno felt herself shake, so excused herself. "Um, I gotta go now. Lots of homework and stuff. It was great seeing you, Takako! Bye!" With that, Himeno ran towards the portal to Earth.

Slowly, Himeno's run subsided. Stopping, Himeno panted to catch her breath. "I'm not seriously upset about anything, so why…?" _Why did I nearly become the Princess of Disaster? _

Himeno's knees gave way, and she slid down onto the ground. After a few minutes of thinking, she decided the reason she didn't become the next "PD" was because she hadn't succumbed to evil and despair.

"Himeno?" The girl looked up and saw Mannen, Hajime, and Shin looking down at her. "Are you okay?" Hajime asked.

"Of course she is! Himeno's always okay," Mannen said with a smile. Himeno frowned. _Always okay…?_

"Are you really alright, Himeno?" Shin asked in his adorably caring voice.

"O-of course!" Himeno cried, jumping up from her place on the ground. "Say, will you guys take me across to Earth?"

"Sure," the three little Knights said. They took the Pretear's hands and led her through the nearby portal.

The three kids asked if they could hang out with Himeno, but she gently denied their request, saying she wanted to be alone for a while. They looked reluctant, but agreed. "Don't worry, I'll hang out with you guys soon, okay? I promise I'll buy the three of you ice cream," Himeno said with a wink.

Immediately, the faces of the Leafe Knights brightened. "All right!" Mannen cried. "Later, Himeno!" he said, running happily with Shin and Hajime to Leafenia.

Himeno waved goodbye, then her cheerful front disappeared. She sat down on one of the seats. She sighed. Sometimes it was tough being strong.

"**_It must be so painful, to pretend to be happy." _**Himeno jumped up, looking around for the source of the voice. It sounded neither male nor female, and she couldn't figure out where it was coming from.

"Who are you!" Himeno yelled, tightening her fists and getting in a karate pose.

"**_Poor girl. You've been trying to be strong all this time. Ever since your mother died…" _**Himeno's eyes widened as a flashback occurred.

**BEGIN FLASHBACK**

"Mommy! Mommy!" a younger Himeno cried, shaking her mother's arm.

Slowly, the tired-looking woman woke up. She looked at her small daughter and gave a weak smile. "Hello, Himeno."

Himeno sobbed. "Daddy says (hiccup)…Daddy says you're going to go away soon..."

"I'm afraid I might, honey," the woman said with a weak smile. Himeno sobbed harder as her mom hugged her gently.

"Please don't go, Mommy!" she cried.

"I have no choice…I love you, Himeno…." Himeno's mother trailed off, and her arm that was around her daughter fell. Her skin was cold.

"MOMMY!"

**END FLASHBACK**

"**_Do you remember what happened later? The doctors said that your mother was always very weak, and when she gave birth to you, she just got weaker. Finally, she couldn't fight any longer, and she died. It must be so painful, knowing you're the cause of your mother's DEATH." _**

Himeno held her head, trembling as tears threatened to fall. "D-don't say things like that." Her voice was cracking, even though she was trying to stay strong.

"**_If you want, I can make the pain go away, Himeno." _**Himeno couldn't help but be interested in what the voice was saying.

"How?" she found herself asking.

"**_Come to my side, Himeno. I'll protect you from the pain. Just give in to the darkness." _**Himeno's eyes widened. The voice now sounded like a man's. It was Feral's.

"I'm…I'm NOT giving in!" Himeno shouted, sounding more determined than she felt. She couldn't help but be enticed by his offer. Perhaps it was because he knew what she had gone through. Either way, our favorite Pretear wasn't going to become a Princess of Disaster that easily.

"**_Why not? Why are you going to keep bearing this hurt? It's not like anybody else wants to hear how you really feel. They expect you to be the person they can lean on, the person that can support them, not the other way around." _**As true as it was, the sixteen-year-old wasn't going to switch sides.

"It's _because _I'm needed that I'm not switching sides. The people I care about care about me back, so why would I throw that all away?"

"_**Himeno, do you honestly think they'd care if you disappeared?" **Ouch, _Himeno thought. _I used to think like that a few months ago, but not anymore! _

"_**And what about Hayate?" **_

The sudden mention of the man she loved made Himeno curious. "What about him?" she asked suspiciously.

"_**You love him, don't you?" **_

She clenched her fist. "If you hurt him, I swear, I'll…!"

"_**Don't worry, I won't hurt him right now. I just want to know if you love him."**_

Without thinking, she said, "Yeah, I love him." Himeno quickly covered her mouth. Who knew what Feral could do with that information!

"_**Does he return your feelings?" **_

How many times had Himeno asked that same question? Too many times to count. She looked at the ground, and her bangs covered her eyes. "No."

"_**But you still believe that, by some miracle, he loves you back, right?" **_

_How'd he know? _Himeno thought in shock.

Darkness began swirling around the girl. Feral was trying to turn her into the Princess of Darkness again. **_"Hayate will never love you back, Himeno. I, on the other hand, will always love you. So join me…"_**

Terrified, Himeno screamed, "NOOO!" and ran as fast as she could. "Hayate, please help me…" _I think I'm starting to want to join Feral's side…_

**MEANWHILE…**

"**_Himeno's going to see Hayate most likely, so you know what to do," _**Feral said.

"Yes, Master," a woman replied. Feral's presence disappeared, and she turned and smiled. Soon, very soon, there would be a new Princess of Disaster.

**A FEW MINUTES LATER…**

"Hi, Hayate!" Natsuki called, a giant smile on her face.

"Himeno?" Hayate asked as he turned. His voice didn't hide his disappointment. "Oh. Hey, Natsuki."

Natsuki embraced him and Hayate stiffened. "Could you let go, Natsuki? Himeno might come soon and get the wrong idea…"

"You really love her, don't you?" Natsuki asked with a sad tone, looking up at him.

Hayate blushed. "Wh-what gave you that idea!"

"If you don't, then kiss me." Natsuki puckered up, but Hayate put his hands on her shoulders.

"No, Natsuki. I don't love you. Find someone else," he said in a slightly harsh tone. _When will she get it through her head that I'm not interested in her? _he thought.

"Hayate…" Natsuki whimpered, sounding hurt. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a terrified-looking Himeno rushing towards them. Natsuki gave a sly smile, then kissed Hayate, who was too surprised to move.

**WITH HIMENO**

Himeno ran as fast as her legs could take her. Finally able to see Hayate, she reached out to him.

That's when she realized what was happening.

Natsuki and Hayate were kissing.

…_What? _Himeno managed to think. Slowly, she walked away, too numb to think anything.

After a couple minutes, she whispered to herself, "What did I…just see?" Her eyes widened as the full impact of what she saw hit her. _Hayate was kissing Natsuki. He was even holding her! _(A/N Hayate's hands were still on Natsuki's shoulders. Remember, Hayate was too surprised to do anything right away!)

She felt her heart tear, not in two, but into a billion shreds. Her tears made damp streaks on her cheeks as she cried. Then she laughed, but not her normal giggle. It was malicious. "Nothing matters anymore, right? Dad has a wife and two daughters; why should he have to deal with me? And the rest of my family were never blood-related. The Knights don't need me. No one does. So why should I stick around?" She chuckled, and darkness began surrounding her.

"Nothing matters if I can't be with you, Hayate."

**Prettyinpinkgal: Well! Now things get a little bit interesting! Poor Himeno, though T.T Either way, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! I think it was longer than my past ones, so that's good! Please review:)  
**


	7. Chapter Seven: The Trials of Love

**Prettyinpinkgal: Thanks for your feedback, everyone! I'm glad you guys are liking it! Well, the drama and action is definitely starting to kick in. Please enjoy the continuing saga of "Pretear: The Second Snowfall"! **

**Disclaimer: R&K: Prettyinpinkgal doesn't own Pretear…**

**Prettyinpinkgal: (nods happily at the two characters' cooperation)**

**R&K: (smirk) …because if she did, the anime and manga would stink…(get kicked in the head by prettyinpinkgal)**

**Prettyinpinkgal: Idiots (anger mark on head) (turns happy) Please review, everyone :)**

**PRETEAR: THE SECOND SNOWFALL**

**CHAPTER SEVEN: THE TRIALS OF LOVE**

Hayate finally broke free of his shock and pushed Natsuki away from him. "What do you think you're doing?" he shouted, a small blush on his face.

Natsuki pouted. "I can't help it that I love you…"

"LOVE SOMEONE ELSE! GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEAD THAT I-DO-NOT-LOVE-YOU!" the Wind Knight yelled. Panting, he resumed his normal, cool self. "Sorry, but I'm never going to love you back, Natsuki. You'll have to give up on me," he said, quieter and more gentle.

"Do you…sense something strange?" Natsuki asked, changing the subject. Hayate stopped and closed his eyes, focusing.

His eyes shot open. "An evil force is forming! Go tell the other Knights!" Hayate told Natsuki. She nodded and vanished. Hayate began running.

"Oh, hey, Hayate! I've been looking for you!" Kaoru cried, noticing the blue-haired Knight.

"Get your family and stay inside!" Hayate called without stopping. "I'm going to try and find Himeno!"

Understanding there was probably going to be another Pretear and Knights vs. Bad Guy fight, Himeno's father nodded and took off to warn his family to stay inside.

"Hayate!" Yet another voice distracted Hayate from his search for the evil presence. It was the Knights. "What's going on?" Sasame asked.

"Not sure. But an evil force is definitely around here, and I have a feeling it's stronger than Feral."

"Where's Himeno?" Kei asked.

"Probably still in Leafenia, right?" Goh asked.

Mannen piped up. "Actually, she's back on Earth," he stated proudly, happy to know something Goh didn't.

Hayate turned. "Really? I haven't seen her."

"She said she wanted to have some 'alone time'," Hajime said matter-of-factly.

"Himeno seemed kind of sad," Shin mentioned worriedly.

Sasame looked at his blue-haired friend. "You don't think…?" _As much as I doubt it and don't want to believe it, we have to keep it as an option, _the Knight of Sound thought.

"Of course not!" Hayate snapped. "Himeno isn't weak enough to do something like that! She'd never become another Princess of Disaster!" The other Knights stopped talking about the possibility.

"Let's just find Himeno. We'll need the Pretear to defeat whatever's forming," Kei said.

"Right," the others said. They decided to split up. Natsuki, Kei, Shin, and Mannen would go search for Himeno. Goh, Hajime, Hayate, and Sasame looked for the evil being.

Little did they know who the evil being was.

**MEANWHILE…**

Himeno's short red hair grew long, becoming black and having streaks of red in it. Her eyes turned from their normal light red hue to the color of blood. Her school uniform transformed to look a bit like what Takako wore as Fenryl. Just like what she had as the White Pretear, Himeno had wings; however, they were black and looked torn, as if representing her heart.

A malicious smile appeared on her face. "Thank you, Himeno, for finally seeing the darkness. Now I can use this body to help you get revenge and for my own purposes!"

Meanwhile, Hayate, traveling faster than the others because of the wind, arrived at the scene where the new villain was being created. Landing, he wasted no time in firing a wind attack at the woman before him, who had her back towards him.

Without even moving, she put up a shield to block the attack. "I'm sure you never thought this day would come," she sneered, slowly turning to show part of her face.

"Who are you?" he shouted. "What are you talking about?" He glared as she turned around, revealing her whole self.

"Hayate!" The other four Knights appeared. "Is that the new bad guy?" Hajime asked.

"Unfortunately for you, I am, Hajime," the woman said. "And to answer your question, Hayate, I am Fenra, the new Princess of Disaster. I guess you made the same mistake you made sixteen-years-ago."

If looks could kill, Hayate would have killed Fenra.

"How do you know about us? Who are you, you witch!" Goh yelled.

Fenra chuckled. "Don't you recognize me, Goh?" Turning to Hayate, she snickered and said, "So you don't recognize me either, Hayate? I can't believe you don't recognize _me_, your _tulip-headed _Pretear!"

Hayate's eyes widened, and he felt his blood run cold. His worst fear had come true. "Himeno?"

"Not quite. I'm a dark creation of her Pretear powers. But Himeno is the one who let me come into being. She's letting me get even with you. But I'm still partly connected to her, so I can say what she thinks." Fenra smirked. "Well, I guess I'm done torturing you for today. Ta ta!" A moment later, she vanished.

"…No way." Hayate clenched his fist so much, a little bit of blood began appearing. "This CANNOT be happening!" Memories of Himeno—happy, cheerful, and loving—came into his mind. _Himeno…why?_

**IN LEAFENIA**

Takako and the Knights of Leafe discussed this "unfortunate" (to say the least) turn in events.

"Poor Himeno…" Takako murmured, her eyes filling with tears. Sasame wrapped his arms around her to comfort her. Suddenly, Takako's eyes widened. "That explains it!" she shouted suddenly.

Sitting up straight, she told the Knights of what happened during her discussion with Himeno.

"So Himeno could feel herself slipping into evil's grip," Kei said with a frown.

"How come Takako never had an evil creation of her powers?" Mannen asked. "She turned completely evil." Goh whacked him, and, with a glare at Goh, told Takako, "Sorry about reminding you about it," he said sheepishly.

Takako shook her head. "It's okay. You have a point, Mannen."

"I think I heard about something like this once," Hayate said as his blue hair covered his eyes. His statement surprised the others. The blue Knight had been quiet ever since finding out Himeno was the newest Princess of Disaster.

He continued. "I remember hearing about a Pretear long ago. Darkness was sent by the evil force of her time to constantly try seeping into her soul, to transform her into a Princess of Disaster. Eventually she succumbed to the darkness and was transformed into an evil being. However, she wasn't completely evil. The evil forces had changed her, but it was mostly her powers that had transformed. They seemed to have a will of their own.

"Basically, it's like what happened to Himeno. Feral has probably been sending darkness to try and transform her. I think some part of her is still resisting," he concluded.

"Why didn't she tell us about it before, though?" Hajime wondered out loud.

Sasame replied. "She must have felt that she didn't want to worry us. Himeno probably wanted to deal with things on her own."

* * *

Natsuki listened to the other Knights and smirked mentally. Everything was going according to plan. Feral would get Himeno, and Natsuki would get Hayate.

Perfect.

**Prettyinpinkgal: Sorry that this chapter wasn't longer. But on the bright side, I updated! Oh, and October 11 was my birthday! I'm fourteen now:) Yay! Please review!**


	8. Chapter Eight: To Learn the Truth

**What I wrote a while ago: **

**Prettyinpinkgal: Hola! I just have to say, I love you guys! I've gotten 33 reviews, and I can't tell you how happy I am! Thank you so much everyone!!! And thanks to those of you who wished me a happy birthday, and I hope your play went well, Dreamgirllogan! Also, to Pretearkight, yes, I am evil. XD And my brother agrees, lol jk! Aaaanyway, to Zelgrl12, I can't believe it almost made you cry! I feel like…I'm becoming a better writer if a chapter really triggers someone's emotions. I hope I continue to become better, whether it's with dramatic stuff or not. :) Thank you everyone for your support, and I hope you all like this chapter :D**

**Disclaimer: (sobs) I lost Ryou and Kish….(hands out flyers saying "Have you seen these characters?") If anyone's seen them, please let me know! TT But I don't own Pretear.  
**

**----------------**

**Present: I'm so sorry for not updating! A lot of things have happened since the last time I updated. I've had a big move, and I've been adjusting to life here. I've also been trying to focus updating on only a few stories at a time, but inspiration kicked in just recently to finish this chapter. Thanks so much for anyone who's still reading this story! I greatly appreciate the reviews, alerts this story has been added to, and people who have put this story in their favorites. It's thanks to you guys I actually decided to finish this chapter, so thank you very much:D  
**

**PRETEAR: THE SECOND SNOWFALL**

**CHAPTER EIGHT: TO LEARN THE TRUTH  
**

Feral twirled Fenra's hair as they sat on their thrones in their personal dark realm. While Fenra had absolutely no attraction to Feral, she would let him kiss her, although she never kissed back.

Feral smirked. It was obvious Fenra was completely different from Himeno. Himeno used to get even cuter when she was angry or determined. She was so fun to tease! However, Fenra was near unapproachable, she was so cold. She had scarcely any feelings whatsoever. Feral's issue would be solved soon, though. As soon as those pesky Knights gave up on Himeno, Feral would force the girl's real self to appear. She'd be so hurt by Hayate that she'd beg to stay with Feral.

Perfect.

* * *

Hayate stared up at the night sky. _How could Himeno possibly turn evil? _The thought ran through his mind in a circle. He understood that Feral attacked her from the inside—breaking down her strength and mentally torturing her—but what Hayate couldn't understand was what was so horrible in Himeno's life that she would be tortured by it. 

Himeno was always so happy. If a smile wasn't on her face, she was depressed. So if she was hurting enough to go to the dark side, she was far past depressed.

The Knights and Takako had earlier decided to wait until Feral and Fenra attacked to save Himeno, but there was no guarantee that they'd be able to do so. Hayate glared at the dark sky. There was no way he'd let Himeno stay in the clutches of Feral for another second.

Hayate shot up. He flew over to the other Knights, who were unable to sleep as well. "Forget about the whole stupid plan! We're going to save Himeno NOW!"

* * *

Minutes later, the Knights were trying to use the elements to find out where Himeno was. Unfortunately, every Knight failed. It soon became apparent that Himeno was in a different dimension. 

Kei guaranteed that he would find a way to go into that forbidden dimension within a few days. "It's never been attempted to enter the Dimension of Darkness, so it should be quite a challenge to get in."

Hayate nodded. "Just get us in there as fast as possible." He paused. "Do the Awayukis know about...?"

Sasame shook his head. "No. We figured you should be the one."

The leader frowned. "I better tell them now."

* * *

The Awayuki home looked as forbidding as ever. But then again, talking to Mr. Awayuki might help Hayate understand why Himeno felt so alone. 

Hayate cleared his throat, not sure how he was going to explain Himeno's transformation.. The family was sitting before him, waiting for him to speak. They had all been woken up, so they looked ready to fall back asleep. "I'm afraid I have some bad..." he began.

He was cut off by Mayune's groan. "Don't tell me, another bad guy's going to be trying to suck that leaf stuff! It was bad enough the last time, and--"

"MAYUNE, JUST SHUT UP!"

Everybody looked at Mawata. She glared at her sister, saying, "Hayate's trying to say something so just shut up!! If it's bad enough that he would wake us up at the middle of the night, it has to be something regarding Himeno! She didn't even come home today, remember?!" Seeing everyone staring at her, she cleared her throat. "Um, I'm sorry. I'm always a little irritable when I'm woken up." Turning towards Hayate, she asked, "Now, what is it that you were going to say?"

Hayate's eyes were covered by his blue hair. "Himeno...has become the next Princess of Disaster."

The silence felt so heavy, some felt like they had to struggle to breathe. Then, "She's a villian? Himeno? This must be some mistake..." Natsue muttered, her voice distant.

"How did it happen?" Kaoru asked Hayate, strangely composed.

"There have been incidents of an evil being attacking a Pretear mentally until she breaks. We think that's what happened to Himeno. There's another villian on the loose, a guy named Feral. We believe he used Himeno's weaknesses against her. But what I can't understand is what could possibly be so terrible in Himeno's life as to make her like this..." Hayate looked hesitatingly at Kaoru. If Kaoru knew, it would surely cause him pain to speak of it.

Himeno's father got up abruptly, then paced around the room. Finally, he spoke. "So you're wondering what Himeno's weakness is? I see; that would make it easier to save her. If you knew, you could comfort her about it..." He looked at Hayate, his eyes full of pain. "Himeno's been through more than most girls her age should have to go through. No, more like anyone any age should have to go through."

He opened his mouth to speak.

**Prettyinpinkgal: I know, it's really short! And after you guys have been waiting so long! DX I'm very sorry!! But I want this chapter up sooner rather than later. I think the next chapter will possibly be on the short side too, but hopefully that means I can have it finished sooner! If you review, you're welcome to flame me for taking so long with this story TT But thanks for sticking with me:)  
**


	9. Chapter Nine: Himeno's Life

**Prettyinpinkgal: Hey! Wow, people are still reading this!! (very happy) Please read and review:D  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pretear. Wow, is that a boring disclaimer or what? Oh, but I do own Feral, Fenra, Kimoto-kun, Natsuki, and the name Haruko for Himeno's mom, cuz I don't think she is given a name in the manga/anime. Just in case anyone wants to know, I chose that name because it means "spring child" or "daughter of spring" or something like that (I can't remember exactly) and since she inspired Himeno with her love for flowers, and flowers start to bloom in spring, I thought it would be a good name for her :)  
**

**PRETEAR: THE SECOND SNOWFALL**

**CHAPTER NINE: HIMENO'S LIFE**

Kaoru opened his mouth to speak.

"Himeno's mom and my first wife was very weak. I didn't want a child, because I was concerned for her health. But Haruko desperately wanted a child. When she became pregnant, the doctor told us we should have an abortion because there was a strong chance Haruko wouldn't live." His voice caught, and Natsue came over to lay her hand over his. He smiled at her, and held her hand tightly.

He continued, seeming a bit more composed. "I don't believe any child should be destroyed, and neither did Haruko. I was still concerned about her health, of course, but we had already agreed to have a child, and there would be no backing out.

"Haruko had a tough time delivering the baby, but she made it, as did Himeno." A faint smile appeared on Kaoru's face as he recalled the moment his daughter was born. His small grin soon disappeared, however. "Unfortunately, the doctor said that Haruko was weaker than ever and she would be less able to fight diseases.

"Haruko vowed to spend as much time with Himeno as possible, and then slowly her health began to decrease. After a fever, she had to be brought to the hospital for treatment. Himeno was only a few years old, hardly old enough to really understand what was happening. She kept asking me questions, and it was killing me." He sighed as he took off his glasses to wipe his eyes.

"Eventually, I couldn't stand to be in the hospital anymore, and instead of going every day, I went only every few weeks. I drowned out my sorrow in liquor, but Himeno fought me about it." A sad smile appeared on his lips. "Heh. She was spunky even back then, huh?" he said, almost to himself.

Recalling that he had an audience, he snapped out of it and continued. "Himeno kept tugging at my shirt, begging to see her mom. I just brushed her off and kept drinking. During that time, I began blaming myself for Haruko's health. Then, as Himeno kept yelling and crying, wanting to see Haruko, I even managed to blame her for everything. I blamed a five-year-old because her mom was dying!" he cried in a disgusted voice as tears ran down his face.

"I never told her I thought that, so that was one thing I did right. The other was that I asked a neighbor who was close friends with Haruko to drive Himeno to the hospital. When I told Himeno that she could see her mom as often as she liked now, she shocked me by running over to me and giving me a hug. I still remember that moment as clearly as if it happened yesterday. She was crying again, but this time because she was so happy. She cried, 'Thank you, Daddy! I love you soo much! I can't wait to see Mommy! I've been taking really, really good care of her flowers, and I took pictures of them to show her!' After that, I stopped drinking so much, and I never again blamed Himeno or myself for Haruko.

"One day, I got a call. The hospital was saying how Haruko probably only had a few more weeks. I told Himeno how her mom would be leaving soon, but she was too upset and kept shouting how it couldn't be true. That day, she went over to the hospital. She was alone with her mom when Haruko died."

The room was dead silent. Hayate couldn't speak. All this, when Himeno was just a few years old. How was it that she was able to smile? He had known her mom had died when she was small, but being alone when her mom had died?

Clearing his throat, Kaoru resumed again. "The doctors contacted me that day, telling me Haruko was dead. I drove over as quickly as I could, and found Himeno there, shaking so hard you would have thought there was an earthquake. She was crying, but she seemed oblivious to the world around her. I talked to the doctor, and he stupidly said right in front of Himeno how Haruko grew weaker due to her giving birth to Himeno.

"Himeno stopped trembling, and looked at me with a look I'll never forget." Kaoru shuddered. "She looked so terrified, and I think it was more due to what the doctor said than to seeing her mother die. 'Daddy,' she said, 'I should never have been born.'

"The next day, she smiled happily and said that our neighbor, the one who'd been driving Himeno to the hospital, had been teaching Himeno how to cook a little bit. Himeno told me that as soon as she could reach, she could cook meals like Haruko used to do. Himeno was the one that held me together for so many years. Until I met you, Natsue, and Mawata and Mayune," he said, smiling at his new familiy. Mawata was sobbing and Mayune and Natsue cried silently.

Turning to Hayate, he said, "I never realized it until now, but Himeno must have felt horribly. I brushed off whatever complaints she had, which weren't many. She's always had to be so strong; she was the adult of the family, and she started when she was so young. And she must have blamed herself for--" He broke off, his voice cracking.

Natsue hugged him. "I think we're all to blame for that. Himeno joked around, and she was always smiling so much that we never thought she could be hurting. She's so young, and to have all that pressure we put on her..."

"Poor Himeno...I never even noticed, even when I felt as she does..." Mawata trailed off, wiping her eyes.

"S-she's so stupid! She should have told someone, anyone!" Mayune cried. She turned fiercely towards Hayate. "Didn't Himeno tell you any of this?! After all, she--" She cut herself off before she gave away Himeno's obvious feelings. "That is, you're like her best friend! Surely she must have told you something that would give you a hint!"

Hayate looked at her, his face expressionless. However, his eyes showed the hurt and pain in his heart. "She never told me any of this, but I should have noticed...I should have realized." Taking a shaky breath, he asked Kaoru, "Is there anything else? Anything else that may have made Himeno upset?"

Kaoru blinked, then looked as his family as they exchanged knowing looks. Turning back to Hayate, he said, "Himeno's strong. Even if this Feral guy managed to use Himeno's past against her, I'm sure she wouldn't have given in without a fight. There must have been a last straw, something that made her crash." Looking with a grim expression at Hayate, he told him, "I don't know for sure what it is, but if it is what I think it is, I can't tell you. You'll have to figure out how to fix it yourself."

Hayate scowled. "Can you stop talking in riddles? I can't help her if I don't know what it is! Even if you're not sure, at least tell me just in case!"

"If I tell you, you may lie to Himeno in order to save her. But if you figure it out on your own, you might honestly confess your own feelings on the matter," Kaoru replied calmly. He then smiled slightly. "If I'm right about you, Hayate, you'll figure it out on your own and make the right choice."

Hayate frowned, then sighed. "I guess that's all the answers I'll get tonight. Thanks for your help," he said with a bow. Vanishing with a spiral of air, he left the family to their own discussions and thoughts.

"Dad, do you think he'll really figure it out?" Mawata asked skeptically.

Kaoru grinned. "I dunno. Those two are both pretty clueless about each other! But hopefully," he said, looking at where Hayate had stood minutes before, "he will do the right thing when the time comes."

**Prettyinpinkgal: This turned out longer than I thought! And I updated in three days!! Woot! XD Please read and review! Much thanks:D  
**


	10. Chapter Ten: Slipping

**Prettyinpinkgal: Well, here's Chapter Ten! Yatta! (Yay!) Thanks for reviewing, you guys! I'm glad you're all enjoying the story! And Veronica, hajimemashite means "pleased to meet you" or something like along those lines. Hope that helps :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pretear. But I do own the characters I mentioned in previous disclaimers, whose names I'm just too lazy to type, lol!**

**PRETEAR: THE SECOND SNOWFALL**

**CHAPTER TEN: SLIPPING**

Hayate returned back to Leafenia, his eyes showing complete concentration.

"Did you learn anything?" Go asked as the Knights gathered around Hayate.

Hayate nodded absently, thinking about all he'd just heard. _What am I supposed to realize? What was the final straw? _Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he told the Knights the slightly abridged version of Himeno's past. Shin ended up crying, and Hajime sniffed, obviously trying to keep from sobbing. The others looked upset, all thinking how hard a life Himeno had.

All the others, except for one.

"Geez, if that's what made her break, she's pathetic!" Natsuki cried with a snicker. "I don't see what the big deal is. It's in the past; it was over ten years ago! She shouldn't be so upset abo--"

She was cut off by glares by the other Knights, particularly Hayate. His eyes made her shudder in fear. "Shut. Up," he said in a quiet, frightening voice.

"I-I was just saying!" Natsuki stuttered, then looked away with a huff.

"Anyway," Kei changed the subject to avoid more tension, "I discovered an entrance into the dimension."

Hayate nodded. "Good. Let's go."

_Please hold on, Himeno._

* * *

Fenra clutched her chest, her free hand gripping the arm of her dark throne. Feral was gone for the moment, and Fenra was finally by herself. She had been enjoying having the palace to herself when her joy abruptly turned into pain. "Give it up, Himeno," she gasped furiously. "I won! Don't you see? I'm in control now! Soon you'll fade away into nothing, so just give up and you can be gone sooner! You can leave all the pain of the world!" 

Meanwhile, deep inside of Fenra, Himeno struggled to regain control. "I...won't lose! I won't! Hayate! Hayate will come and...and save me!" She was in more pain than Fenra. Himeno, lost inside herself, felt a physical pain from trying to keep from fading away. Not only that, but she felt a physical manifestation of her mental agony.

"Honestly," came Fenra's voice, "do you still believe he'll come? He's in love with Natsuki! You saw them yourself!"

Himeno cried out, her heart hurting as well as her body as the pain increased. "I know...I know that...but..." This was bad. Real bad. She could feel herself start to slip. Her grasp over some part of Fenra was slipping. She was dangling over a cliff, and if her grasp failed her...

She would go tumbling into the abyss of nothingness.

Perhaps she wouldn't fade away quickly. Perhaps she would fall, fall, fall, never reaching the bottom, and slowly she would fade until there was nothing left.

"Then give it up, murderer!"

Again, her grip lessened. "I..." _I want to give in._

"Then give in," answered Fenra. Himeno could feel her sneer. "No one wants you around. Not your father..."

Slip.

"...not your step-family..."

Slip.

"...not your friends..."

Slip.

"...not even Hayate."

Fall.

**Prettyinpinkgal: I'm sorry, it's really short! But it was the perfect spot! Next chapter, the Knights of Leafe enter the Dimension of Darkness (wow, that's such a pathetic name XP) and try to rescue Himeno. But will it be too late? I originally was going to have them enter the dimension in this chapter, but it was the perfect spot to end. Gomen ne (sorry)! But I have an idea on where the next chapter is going to go, so it should be up soon! Please read and review! Thank you very much!**


	11. Chapter Eleven: Two Betrayals?

**Prettyinpinkgal: Hello! I'm sorry for the wait! School's a very evil thing indeed. Please enjoy Chapter Eleven!**

**Disclaimer: I, Alyssa/Prettyinpinkgal, do not own Pretear, except for the characters I've made note of in previous disclaimers. (turns to lawyer) There! Are you happy now, you dream-demolisher?!  
**

**Lawyer: "Dream-demolisher"? O.O" Um...  
**

**PRETEAR: THE SECOND SNOWFALL**

**CHAPTER ELEVEN: TWO BETRAYALS? **

All was dark in the small corridor. At least, it was until streaks of color and light appeared, soon giving way to eight Leafe Knights.

"Nice job, Kei. Now, can anyone sense Himeno, or at least Fenra?" Sasame asked.

Everyone paused a moment, focusing. "I can't tell!" Mannen grumbled. "It feels like there's something here clouding my vision."

"It must be the evil in this place," Kei replied with a frown. "I can't sense a thing, either."

Natsuki perked up. "Really? I think I can sense something." She pointed straight. "Try going straight, and I'll tell you when to turn, alright?"

"How is it that you can tell where Himeno is?" Hayate asked suspiciously as they flew in the direction Natsuki had pointed. "The rest of us can't sense her."

Natsuki frowned. "How the heck am I supposed to know? All I know is that I sense her presence this way!"

The others continued to follow, although a nagging suspicion gripped each of them. There was something about Natsuki that didn't add up. She acted like she didn't like Himeno, but she was the only one who could sense where she was.

Hayate glared at the back of Natsuki's head. He was never overly fond of her, but now he was sure something was wrong. But if they didn't follow her, they'd never get anywhere in this huge dimension.

They flew and flew in complete silence which was only broken by Mannen, Shin, and Hajime's occasional, "Are we there yet?", to which Natsuki would respond with a, "Shut up! This is a huge place! It's bound to take a while!"

Silence would then resume, with the exception of sound of ruffling clothes and rushing wind.

Finally, the silence ended, but abruptly and with a loud, "STOP!"

The Knights halted, turning to face the speaker. Hayate's eyes widened as they saw the person leaning against the wall, panting.

"Kimoto," Hayate said coldly, his eyes narrowing. It could only mean one thing if Kimoto was in the Dimension of Darkness.

He was Feral.

"Natsuki!" Kimoto yelled, not bothering to pay attention to Hayate. "I'm in control now! So I'm afraid your little plan isn't going to work!"

The Knights whirled around to look at Natsuki, who was throwing such a fierce glare at Kimoto that she seemed more like a murderous carnivore than a person. She quickly regained her composure, however, and gave Kimoto a pleading look. "What are you saying? I have no idea what you're talking about!"

Kimoto cried out as if in pain, and gripped the wall. His forehead was dotted with sweat, but his eyes blazed with determination. Turning his attention to the other Leafe Knights for the first time, he told them in a strained voice, "Natsuki is a traitor to the Leafenia. She has been working for Feral. She was planning on leading all of you to Feral, and the two of them were planning on finishing all of you off, with the exception of Hayate."

Hajime and Shin gasped. The others glared, enraged, at Natsuki, who stared at Kimoto.

"Why not Hayate? No offense," Goh said to the Knight of Wind.

"It's fine. But why not me?" Hayate demanded, looking at Kimoto.

"Because she's in love with you," Kimoto said bluntly, nodding towards Natsuki, who seemed frozen in place.

This was not going as Natsuki had planned. As she listened to Kimoto explain her plans to the Knights, about her planning on Hayate being so upset over the loss of Himeno and his companions (of course, he was supposed to have no idea that she had been part of finishing them off) that he would willingly fall for Natsuki.

"That's about the most idiotic plan I've ever heard!" cried Hayate. "No one falls in love like that!"

Kimoto looked at Natsuki. "I'm afraid I have to finish you off now, before you attack anyone else. Besides, this is customary in Leafenia for traitors." Turning towards the still loyal Knights, he told them weakly, "I may need your help. I can stifle her powers to keep her from fighting back, but that's about it. I'm not too powerful right now."

"YOU'RE the traitor!" Natsuki shouted, but was unable to move do to Kimoto's powers. "Bring out Feral! Give it up!"

The Knights looked at each other and nodded. It was customary to eliminate traitors on the spot before the said traitors brought back any information or powers to their new leader. They raised their hands and said, "As a traitor to Leafenia, you must now face your punishment," as was customary in such instances.

Their powers burst forth from their hands, making Natsuki scream, "NO!" As soon as the light faded, she was gone.

Hayate stared at the spot Natsuki had been moments before. It was bound to have happened. He sighed; they had known each other for years. He hadn't liked her as a friend or otherwise, but still...

He shook his head and tried to bring himself back to the present. "Kimoto," he said, turning towards the boy. "What are you doing here?"

Kimoto sighed, looking at the ground and wiping the sweat from his brow. "I don't blame you if you don't believe me, but..." He looked up at the Knights, looking each one straight in the eye. "It's like this: Before Himeno became the Princess of Disaster, and before Fenryl came into being, the Pretear that later became Fenryl--I think her name was Takana? Takaka? Oh, yeah, Takako--anyway, she was fighting a Princess of Disaster--"

"We know that," Hayate snapped. "We were there!"

"Oh, right. Well, that Princess of Disaster...you guys never really defeated her. During the final battle, she vanished right before your combined attack hit her. She got sick of you all--her words, not mine--and decided to just live like a sort of normal person. She married my father. She's my mother.

"She died a while ago, and I can't say I'm terribly sorry for her death," Kimoto said with a humorless laugh. "She was still a cruel person, pretending to be human or not."

"So," Kei interjected. "You have the genes of the Princess of Disaster?"

"He's part-princess!" Mannen laughed. Noticing everyone's glares, he shrunk back, muttering, "You gotta admit, it is pretty funny."

"Anyway," continued Kimoto. "I guess somehow the evil forces are in me. When I turned sixteen, the evil part of me awoke, the part called Feral.

"So yes, I am Feral, physically at least. He keeps trying to battle for control and use of this body. As you can imagine, it can be quite a struggle to keep him at bay. Even now, he's trying--" he paused, taking a sharp intake of breath, in obvious pain. Sweat dripped from his brow as he continued, "--trying hard to break free. I'll keep him at bay for as long as possible, but I can't guarantee that I can keep him away long enough for you to rescue Himeno."

The Knights looked at Hayate for guidance. "He's not lying," Kei told Hayate. "That much is obvious."

The Knight of Wind nodded, then turned to Kimoto. "Do you remember anything from when Feral was in control? Do you know where Himeno, or Fenra, is?"

Kimoto tried to think. "I-I'm not sure. But I think she might still be in the throne room." He gave them directions on how to get there. "And Hayate," he added, looking at the blue knight with resignation. "I give up. You won her. So you better save her or I'll never forgive you." He cried out, then shouted, "Go! Hurry! I can't hold him back much longer!"

"Thank you," Hayate said. To the Knights, he shouted, "Let's go!" And off they flew.

**Prettyinpinkgal: Sorry about the wait and shortness! But I couldn't wait to put this chapter up any longer. Please review, even if just to yell at me for taking so long! Merry Christmas and happy New Year! **


	12. Chapter Twelve: Salvation

**Prettyinpinkgal: Chapter Twelve! I hope you all enjoy it! :) Only a few more chapters and this story is -finally- ending! Thank you all for sticking with "Pretear: The Second Snowfall" for so long. Please enjoy! **

******Disclaimer: See previous disclaimers.**

**PRETEAR: THE SECOND SNOWFALL  
**

**CHAPTER TWELVE: SALVATION**

Sweat dripped off Kimoto as he leaned against a wall, gasping. "Hurry," he pleaded to the now-gone Knights. "Hurry and save Himeno." He cried out in agony. "Stop," he whispered to his other self.

But his order was in vain. Within seconds, Kimoto gave a final yell as he was engulfed by Feral.

* * *

Hayate led the way as the Leafe Knights entered the throne room. The presence of evil was much stronger here, so much so that the Knights felt as though they were getting headaches. Hayate scanned the room, then settled his gaze on the woman with torn wings who now suddenly appeared. "Fenra," said he, bitterness in his voice.

"Hayate," she replied, her voice filled with cool amusement.

"Bring Himeno back to us!" Shin yelled, tears gathering in his eyes.

"Yeah!" Hajime added.

Fenra laughed. "You fools! You're too late! Himeno's gone!"

Hayate's heart nearly stopped. _No...it can't be... _"You're lying," he growled.

"Oh, you wish, Hayate. But I don't see why you should be so worked up. After all, it was thanks to _you _that Himeno allowed me to come into being--"

"SHUT _UP!_" A sudden wind attack was flung at Fenra. She smiled as it vanished just in front of her.

"Oooh, nice try," she said in mockingly.

Clenching his fists, Hayate decided to try a different method. "Himeno! Can you hear me?"

The Leafe Knights stared at their leader. "Hayate..."

_Flying through the air, holding Himeno's hand..._

_Her laugh..._

_Her smile..._

_Her hair..._

_Her eyes..._

_Her strength..._

His _strength..._

"Himeno," he said quietly now. He was no longer looking at Fenra; his eyes were focused on something beyond her. "You're in there. I know you are. Your dad told us what happened to you back when your mom died. I...I can't tell you how sorry I am, Himeno. I should have realized you were in pain, yet I was too oblivious..."

Fenra's eyes widened suddenly. "Be quiet!" she bellowed as began directing her powers at Hayate.

Yet, she seemed to be having a rather hard time mustering that power.

Hayate continued, unfazed. "If there's anything I can do, Himeno, I'll do it. I'll be by your side always. I won't ever leave you alone. And the other Knights will be here for you too."

"S-stop..." Fenra muttered as she trembled. She could not find the strength to usher forth her attack.

"Your family wants you to come home. They love you, more than you will ever know. They want to have a new beginning with you. Just as they wanted to start over with Mawata, they want to start over with you. Because you really aren't alone, Himen--"

"STOP!! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE GONE!! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE GIVEN THIS BODY TO ME!! DIE!!" Fenra cried as her skin began to break, light shining through the cracks.

"--o. Your friend Kimoto? He's trying his hardest to keep you safe too, Himeno. Yayoi, I'm sure, is worried about where you are."

"NOOOO!! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!!"

"And you know what, Himeno? I'm not going to push you away anymore. The truth is, I was scared of being close to you. But its too late." Hayate smiled, his eyes bright. "I'm already in love with you, Himeno Awayuki."

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!" Fenra shrieked as the dark room filled with pure light.

Her screams faded, replaced by soft whimpers. The light which had nearly blinded the Knights dimmed until the room was full of darkness once again. Once his eyes adjusted, Hayate could see a tulip-headed girl on the floor, her beautiful eyes full of tears. "I'm sorry...I'm so, so sorry..." she whispered.

He did not reply, not with words. Instead, he gathered her up in his arms and held her close to his heart. He then pulled away, revealing the various emotions in his deep blue eyes. Himeno recognized the most prominent emotion and found herself smiling. _He meant what he said_, she realized.

And then he kissed her. It was a simple kiss, simply him gently pressing his lips against hers, yet they both could feel each other's love in that one act.

"Go, Hayate!" a voice cheered, making Himeno and Hayate jump apart. Mannen's cheering came to an abrupt end when Goh whacked him. "What the heck was that for?!" he yelped, rubbing his sore head.

"They finally kiss and you went and spoiled it, that's what!" Goh yelled back.

Shin and Hajime, seeing that the lovey-dovey scene was over, took the opportunity to come running to Himeno. "You're back, you're back!" they cried, hugging their favorite Pretear.

"Yeah," she replied, hugging them back.

"It's good to have you back, Himeno. But what I don't understand is _how _you came back," Kei said, walking over. "Fenra seemed pretty sure you were gone."

Himeno nodded. "It was like falling," she said, remembering the horror she had felt. "I knew soon my existence as Himeno Awayuki would vanish and I would truly become Fenra. She--that is, Fenra--thought she had gotten the best of me. As I was falling, I was trying to grab onto something to save me: a memory, a feeling, anything. But I couldn't find anything. I felt myself slowly begin to fade away, and that's when I heard Hayate. You gave me something to hold on to," Himeno concluded with a smile in Hayate's direction.

Hayate smiled back and held her hand in his.

Mannen kindly refrained from commenting.

Sasame cleared his throat. "I'm sorry about interrupting, but I think we still have one more person to defeat."

"Right," they all said.

Sasame glanced at Himeno. "It turns out Feral's actually your friend Kimoto. Kimoto's half-human, half-Prince of Disaster. His human self that you befriended was trying to keep Feral from taking control again until we managed to rescue you from Fenra."

"I see. I'm sorry, Hayate; you were suspicious of him from the start and I brushed you off," Himeno said sadly.

"Don't worry about it. And I have to admit, he's not all bad," he added grudgingly.

Himeno laughed at his reluctance, then became serious. "Okay, let's get down to business. We can catch up later; first we have to rescue Kimoto from his own inner demon."

"Are you sure you're well enough to Pret, Himeno?" Goh asked worriedly.

She nodded, determined. "I'll try to do better than that. I might be able to turn into the White Pretear."

**Prettyinpinkgal: I'm going on vacation, and then I have some summer homework to do, so rather than make this chapter longer, I'm just going to end this chapter here. Please review!**


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Ending and Beginning

**Prettyinpinkgal: Chapter Thirteen, and an unlucky chapter depending on how you look at it! This will be the final chapter of "Pretear: The Second Snowfall" with the exception of the epilogue. Please enjoy, and I hope you all had a merry Christmas and will have a wonderful New Year! The epilogue should be longer than this chapter, so not to worry about that ;) This chapter was enjoyable due to the fact that I decided to take Feral's point of view. I never really developed him as a character, (not that I really did with the other characters. Heh.) so I took this opportunity to make him both dangerous and a character you can pity. He has always been told he was the "dark" side of Kimoto, so he naturally grows in darkness due to that. It's the only way he can fit in.**

**Please enjoy the final chapter.  
**

******Disclaimer: See previous disclaimers.**

**PRETEAR: THE SECOND SNOWFALL  
**

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN: THE ENDING AND THE BEGINNING  
**

It was snow.

Pure white, drifting all about.

But how?

How was it snowing inside the castle, not to mention the fact that this castle was in an alternate dimension in which there was no weather?

Feral felt a snowflake hit himself, and he gasped. It was leafe itself, the exact opposite of his life-draining red flakes.

How was this possible?

He turned his vision toward the doorway. He saw reminiscences of Fenra in the figure before him, yet she was so different. Her eyes were larger, more innocent. Her hair was short, and her gown and wings were pure and full. Perhaps the most significant difference was her smile--not of malice, but of kindness and goodness and sweetness.

"The White Pretear..." Feral whispered. He heard his other self whisper, _"She did it. She's saved! Thank God!" _"Silence," Feral commanded under his breath. Looking at the beauty before him, he asked, "Himeno, why? Why did you not submit yourself to darkness?"

Her grin widened. "It's too depressing," she explained, her voice chipper. "I wouldn't be me if I wasn't of light. Of course, everyone has a bit of darkness. We're all humans. No one's perfect. But the difference between me and you, Feral, is that I try to embrace the light. When I do that, my darkness fades a little bit. When someone embraces the darkness, their light dies, and they don't feel any joy. Aren't you tired of living that way?"

Feral grinned, but he silently acknowledged that most likely, he would not live much longer. "I am Kimoto's evil self. His darkness. He was born with too much of it to be able to simply embrace the light and push me away. It's not a matter of simply wanting to be evil. I am evil itself."

Himeno was silent for a moment as she considered this. "But you haven't tried to kill me yet. If you were purely evil, then you would have attacked me already. You haven't. There is also the matter that even your 'good' self--the true Kimoto--has a bit of darkness when he is just a human. If he is light but has a bit of darkness, then why can you not be darkness with light as well?"

Feral froze. As the snow continued to fall in the room, he absorbed more and more leafe. If things continued in this way, he would have enough leafe to fight Himeno and very possibly win. He would kill her, and, as she was in her Pretear state, all seven Knights in the process. It was perfect. Himeno didn't even consider this.

Yet he did not want to kill her.

She continued speaking. "Feral, you love me, don't you?" This had been an unspoken understanding between Fenra and Feral. Fenra had known he loved her only because she was part of Himeno. The snow danced around her as her short hair blew gently. "Love is perhaps one of the purest emotions out there. So you couldn't possibly be all bad. Please, change."

She reached out her hand.

Feral could almost see the warmth radiating from her small hand.

He needed only to reach out his own hand to be saved.

_But..._

A wave of energy surged out from his body, the magic attacking Himeno, causing her to slam against the wall.

"Do you understand?! I am a _monster_! I am evil itself!" Feral cried maniacally. "There is no goodness in me! You have lost, Pretear! Himeno, you're dea--!"

She had managed to sit up. She was badly beat up, yet she was smiling forgivingly at him.

Her eyes were so soft with emotion.

Her smile so welcoming.

Her hand was still outstretched.

"Don't you realize what I've done?! Himeno, you stupid--" Another attack. "Girl!" Attack. "There is!" Attack. "No!" Attack. "Saving!" Attack. "ME!!" An attack so strong, even the prepared Knights' barriers had failed.

Himeno whispered, "No, I have to save him. Feral _and_ Kimoto." Those Knights must have been talking to her. "If I can just get close enough..." She winced and grabbed her arm. Feral looked in alarm as he saw blood ooze from her shoulder all the way to her elbow. It was proof. He was sinful enough to hurt this girl, this sweet, innocent beauty who had done nothing wrong. This girl that he felt himself loving, despite the instilled hate which lingered dangerously in his heart.

Agony swept through him. It was as Mother had said. _"You make me so proud, Feral. Far prouder than I am of Kimoto. Your wickedness is outstanding." _If that old hag was praising him, he must have been truly despicable.

Himeno walked towards Feral as he battled mentally with himself. To kill, or not to kill. To be saved, or not to be saved. To live, or not to live.

Suddenly, he felt Himeno hug him. She was weak, and she did not hug him very tightly, but she said, "It's alright. I'll set both you and Kimoto free."

Love grows stronger in the midst of hate.

Apparently, light grew stronger in the midst of darkness.


	14. Epilogue

**Prettyinpinkgal: Here it is, the epilogue. I had planned to make it longer, but I thought it would be okay like this. I just wanted to show a snippet of life after the snowfall, that's all, and I think this accomplished it. It's been a fun, sometimes depressing, sometimes aggravating ride (darn writer's block!), but I'm happy with how this story's turned out. How long has it been since I've finished a story, anyway? Well, I'm glad this story's over, and all you readers finally find out the ending. I've been glancing over previous chapters... (cringes) I'd like to think I've come a long way since beginning this story. Maybe someday I'll edit the earlier chapters so they're not quite so grating to read. **

**Also, there IS a possibility that I will make a somewhat sequel to this. I've been planning to do this with one of my unfinished stories, "Just a Dream", when it is finished, so I was thinking, "Why not with 'Second Snowfall', too?" What I mean by somewhat sequel is this: It would be a series of standalone oneshots involving Himeno and Hayate's relationship. Because I think this story was far too lacking in fluff. Of course, this is only a possibility, and I need to finish some of my other stories, too. But just thought I'd let you guys know ;)  
**

**A final shout-out to my readers: You've all been so wonderful, whether you've just started reading "The Second Snowfall" recently or have been reading since the first chapter. I appreciate your patience and kind words. You guys really are amazing! It is thanks to you that I've finally, after all this time, finished this story. I hope you've enjoyed it, and enjoy the epilogue.  
**

******Disclaimer: See previous disclaimers.  
**

**PRETEAR: THE SECOND SNOWFALL  
**

**EPILOGUE**

"YOU JERK!"

The Leafe Knights, Takako, and the Awayuki family cringed as they sat in Leafenia, trying to enjoy their picnic. Hayate and Himeno had wandered off, as they often did at gatherings such as these, but their voices could now be heard loud and clear.

"WOULD YOU SHUT UP, TULIP-HEAD?! IT'S YOUR OWN FAULT!" Hayate's voice carried itself over the trees of the forrest to be heard over Himeno's ongoing, indecipherable screeching.

"IF YOU KNEW THERE WAS A LAKE HERE, YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME!"

Takako turned to the Awayuki family and attempted to smile. "There's a lake further out. More like a swamp, really. It's usually littered with leaves, so it's difficult to see. I'm, uh, supposing Hayate didn't warn Himeno ahead of time."

There was some more muffled yelling. Finally, Hayate's voice was heard yelling, "WHY DID YOU PULL _ME _IN?!"

"BECAUSE YOU DESERVED IT!"

"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! IT'S YOUR OWN -censored- FAULT THAT YOU FELL IN!"

"YOU CONTROL WIND! YOU SHOULD HAVE CAUGHT ME!"

"THAT'S NOT MY PROBLEM!"

"YES IT IS!"

"NO IT'S NOT!"

Goh sighed. "Hayate sure has a way with the ladies, doesn't he?"

Mayune scowled. "Himeno is so unladylike."

The entire party sighed in unison as the fighting continued.

A month had passed since the snowfall. It had not only fallen in the strange dimension Feral had lived in, but also in the human world and Leafenia. All who felt a speck of snow felt a bit more rejuvenated, and seemed to hear a whispered, "You're not alone. Hang in there." Since then, the worlds had become gentler places, at least a bit. People were a bit kinder to one another. Nature flourished even more. Smiles became a bit brighter, a bit more genuine. Couples were more loving and showed less fighting.

Of course, the new couple that had saved the worlds refused to conform to this new way. If anything, their bickering increased. Oftentimes, their friends would abandon them when they started up, the companions too embarrassed to be seen with them.

Yet, their feelings transcended all things, words and spats alike. Although spectators would never guess this.

Presently, Mawata, trying to ignore the fighting in the distance, asked after a sip of tea, "Whatever happened to Kimoto, by the way? We never really got that far in the story when you all told us about what happened."

Kei smirked. "That's right. Himeno and Hayate began bickering again, and I suppose we got distracted. Thanks to Himeno's power, he and Feral had successfully seperated from each other. Instead of sharing the same body, they are now two distinct people. Feral is paying for his crimes in Leafenia and is undergoing purification--"

"How does that work?" Natsue inquired.

Kei grinned, and the rest of the Leafe Knights knew they were in for it. "Well, I'd be happy to explain..." To summarize, he explained that the elders of Leafenia--those who helped train Leafenia's knights--were working day and night to use their powers to reform Feral. Ordinarily, a Prince or Princess of Disaster, once captured, would be killed instantly. In this case, thanks to Feral's consent and Himeno's pleading, it was agreed that the elders would try and purify Feral, who was already on his way to change due to Himeno's support. So far, it seemed he was making progress.

"I see," Kaoru murmured. "And Kimoto?"

"He is currently working under the elders. He wishes to become a Leafe Knight. He has enough power and has been excused of all penalties marked against him due to his association with Feral. Kimoto says that he wants to help people for once."

Minutes later, the grumpy couple returned, scowls on their faces and water dripping from their clothes and hair. "Geez," Mannen began playfully, "you guys are like little kids!"

This earned him two sets of painful glares, which caused him to squirm and mutter an apology.

Himeno sat at one end of the blanket and Hayate at the other. They refused to look at each other, except to glower.

"I'm just wondering," Mayune piped up. "Do you guys actually genuinely fight, or is it just for fun? Because the two of you fight way too much to be a couple if you really are fighting. Maybe you guys should break up."

Hayate and Himeno looked at her, horrified. "I still love him/her!" they shouted at the same time. Pausing and realizing what they had said, their cheeks burned red and the two quickly began focusing on the food before them. After a moment, Himeno looked up at her boyfriend and managed a small giggle. "But I guess it _is _sort of fun getting you riled up."

Hayate replied, "Same goes for you," grinning slightly.

The group snacked and talked until evening. The sun was beginning to set, and the Awayukis prepared to return to their world. "I'll catch up with you guys later," Himeno informed them. "Hayate wants to show me something."

Walking off into the woods so they would have privacy, Hayate scooped the girl he loved into his arms. She flushed and muttered, "We could just pret, you know."

"I know. But I like this better." And he smiled so wonderfully at her that Himeno dropped all protests. Instead, she simply clung his clothing and listened to his heart beat as they soared into the heavens to watch the sunset.


End file.
